Rafael Nadal pulls out of Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon 2021, says focus is on prologing career

Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he will not be competing at this year’s Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympics in order to help his body recover after a gruelling clay-court the season.

The 35-year-old, in a statement posted on social media, said that his goal is to extend his career and he has to listen to his body in order to do that. The reduced gap between the two Grand Slams meant there was little time to recuperate and that didn’t help his long-term goal of staying at the top level.

The world No 3 was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the French Open last week, ending his four-year unbeaten run at the clay-court Grand Slam. It was just his third loss in 16 years at Roland Garros and was a physically demanding match that lasted over four hours.